You and Me and a Dog Named Flea the Sequel
by fridayblues
Summary: A sort-of sequel of an alternate universe fiction of Ennis and Jack. Set in San Francisco; Jack Twist had a chance encounter with a veterinarian one day, didn't know the shy vet, and his black and white terrier, would have a permanent place in his heart.
1. Chapter 1

**You & Me & a Dog Named Flea**: **The Series**  
**Disclaimer** : Annie Prouxl owns the timeless characters in BBM. I'm writing from love and making no profit.  
**Summary** : A sort-of sequal of an alternate universe fiction of Ennis and Jack (from Brokeback Mountain). Set in San Francisco; Jack Twist had a chance encounter with a veterinarian one day, didn't know the shy vet, and his black and white terrier, would have a permanent place in his heart.  
**My Deepest Thanks** always to Judy, my ultimate beta!  
**Feedback** : means the world to me:)

**One: What are you doing?**

"What are you doing?" Ennis asked Lee, even though Lee was showing him exactly what he was doing. Once stepping inside Jack's room, he walked with a bounce, whistled good-naturedly and scrunched down on his knees to examine the DVDs that were stacked vertically against the wall. Ennis saw no harm in that so he moved to the fridge and brought out a can of cola, seeing from the corner of his eye that Lee had moved to the bookshelf near the bed and was now rummaging through the stuff there.

"What are you doing?" Ennis asked again, even though it was pretty obvious that Lee was looking for something.

"I just know it's hidden in here, somewhere."

"What?"

"The DVD."

"What DVD?" Ennis walked to him, addressing the skull on the back of Lee's T-shirt. "Why don't you ask Jack for it? He'll be here any minute now."

"Have you seen it? The DVD with no cover? I think it's a Sony."

"No," Ennis murmured to the skull again.

The skull was gone now as Lee twisted his waist to narrow his eyes at him. "Don't tell me you never snoop."

"Huh?"

Lee's eyes grew even narrower. "You never snoop around when Jacky-poo isn't home? Haven't you wondered what's behind these books or hidden at the back of the cabinet?"

Ennis winced uncertainly. _He should have wondered about that?_ "Umm…No?"

"Liar."

And Lee turned back to continue his search for whatever DVD he wanted to find. Ennis was a bit taken back. For a minute, Lee made him feel stupid, like he should know the whereabouts of every little thing in Jack's room. Like he should be prying. And he did actually ask himself why in the hell he never snooped around the room before. But when Lee jumped and yelped, then ran to the T.V. with a DVD in his hand, Ennis came to his senses. Poor Grant, Ennis sighed. Next time, he would buy him a cup of coffee.

"Movie time!!" Lee shouted cheerfully.

Seeing that what he said wasn't going to stop Lee, Ennis retreated to sit on the sofa quietly. Jack would come in and find Lee toying with his personal belongings by himself. He wished Grant would come along, so that he would have company when Jack and Lee started their WWE wrestling match on the floor. The T.V. blinked to life, and Ennis felt curiosity creeping up inside him.

"What is it anyway?" he asked.

"A do-it-yourself DVD," Lee said and giggled at his own words like a drunken man. "Very, very, very educational."****

Ennis's heart leaped in his chest. Lee scooted back a little and pressed the play button on the DVD remote control. The screen was pitch-black. Though vaguely, Ennis thought he knew what this DVD was all about. Random images including ones with a dark elevator and a deserted truck stop popped in his head for some mysterious reasons he didn't want to examine.

As Ennis tried to shake the images away, the T.V. showed the picture of two men kissing the hell out of each other at the poolside. _Didn't it require some foreplay?_ Ennis groaned and drank from the can of cola in his hand.

"Come on," Lee growled. "The house was on fire or what? Why in such a hurry?"

Ennis groaned again, secretly agreed, feeling heat crawling and burning up from his toes to his head. The frantic sound those guys made didn't make things easier. He sneaked a look toward the screen, nose wrinkling but eyes widening when the guy on top slid his mouth down the other's taut body. _Shit._ He cussed and took another big gulp of cola, gazing at the white ceiling when he heard Lee gasp. He didn't need to look to know that the guy had reached his destination. Besides, he was busy enough trying not to choke on the cola.

Here came the goddamn sound again. _Jack made that sound sometimes._ Ennis swallowed and willed his heart to beat slower. It wasn't working. Lee was gasping again, this time snorting a bit, and Ennis just had to see what was so funny, he told himself. The guy on top was burying his face in…_oh my God._ Ennis rubbed his face. Shit, was he going to eat that thing or what? Lee started to laugh for real. "Man, you just missed the funniest part!!"

"Oh, Jesus…"

His voice came out hoarse as he shook his legs frantically, rubbed his burning face but peered from between his fingers anyway. He wasn't sure at first at the sight he was seeing now. _Damn camera angle_. Ennis copied Lee's gesture, crooked his neck to the right until he could make out what exactly was on the screen. _Sweet mother of God…whoa…_ Was it necessary to zoom in this fucking close at _that_? Ennis groped several times for the cola can only to find that the can was already empty. But he didn't really care about the cola anymore. Instead, he found he couldn't avert his eyes from the T.V. screen.

The camera zoomed out. Both guys started to explore, moving their hands all over the other's muscled, oil-shiny body (he supposed), kneading the skin, pressing and grinding, their moans melting Ennis's knees but obviously making one particular body part harder. A whimper escaped from his lips when one guy sneaked his hands around to squeeze the other's ass, fingers crawling lower and lower. Ennis's ragged breath caught in his chest when two fingers disappeared. He hissed. The camera zoomed in again. _Holy hell_, Ennis cursed shakily under his breath, biting his lip when the fingers went deeper, the camera zoomed in even closer, the moans got wilder and louder, Lee murmured something unintelligible that sounded like Chinese, Ennis turned pale, but felt as hot and steamy as a ready-to-serve baked potato when the third finger joined its friends. One of the guys cried out as if in pain and Ennis had to bit off his own whimper when those fingers moved. Lee's Chinese continued in a more frenzied fashion while Ennis was practically breaking a sweat, and that was when the door swung open.

Faster than the speed of light, Lee turned off the T.V.

Jack walked in. His smile faded when he saw the swift movement completed just a second before. Lee had turned off the T.V. and was now reading yesterday's newspaper upside down. Ennis was sitting on the sofa, tense and…red-faced. Then he looked like he was going to faint. Grant stepped in after Jack and he, too, frowned at the weird setting. Jack crossed his arms. "What're you doing?"

Lee shrugged. "Nothing."

"What the hell are you doing? Ennis looks like he can't breathe."

Lee turned to look at Ennis and smirked. "I'd say that's pretty normal."

Lee jumped on his feet and, without a word, yanked Grant out the door, saying he wanted to go home. But Jack didn't really care. He stopped short as he saw the DVD case lying on the floor. He remembered what DVD it belonged to despite the lack of cover. Slowly, he glanced up to Ennis, noticing how the brown eyes got liquid dark. Jack heard his own heart beating like crazy, and he felt himself kind of float to the sofa where Ennis was sitting, glued to the sweet brown eyes like a bee to honey. He wondered how far Ennis had watched the DVD. _Has he gotten to the part when the guys get naughty in the pool?__  
_  
"Hey," Jack straddled Ennis, feeling the undeniable evidence that Ennis had been watching that DVD press tightly against his groin. "What are you doing?" he asked anyway and leant in for a kiss.

To his surprise, Ennis wrenched his mouth away and, with a loud grunt, pushed Jack down flat on the sofa. Jack gasped fiercely when he was flipped on his belly before he had the chance to react. The next thing he registered was how frenetic Ennis was, practically tearing off his jeans, how his breath was coming out rough and hard and how his fingernails were tearing on his skin mercilessly as he tried to pull the jeans off Jack's hips.

Jack clutched the throw pillow and bit a mouthful of it when he felt a tongue lapping on his ass. Goddamn, Jack moaned. A hand was rubbing his inner thigh and Jack thought he was going to die when he felt fingers creeping up with a little too much pressure. Ennis was nervous but he didn't stop.

"Ummmmmm," Jack bit the pillow harder at the same time Ennis bit his neck. He spread his legs wider under Ennis's deadweight, allowing curious fingers to wander in his body, clumsily and a bit awkwardly, but that was making it more arousing.

_Should have told Lee about the DVD sooner_, Jack thought dazedly and crooked his neck to the side, responding to Ennis's sucking his earlobe with a muffle cry. It didn't take long until his fingers moved more boldly, deeper inside Jack and he seemed to find the rhythm. Mozart, Jack thought dreamily. But his thoughts scattered into bits and pieces when Ennis reached his other hand to the front and stroked him. Jack bit back a scream as he thrashed his head wildly on the throw pillow, could do nothing but moan and moan, hearing himself beg breathlessly, as he desperately pushed back toward Ennis for more of the sweet torture that was like series of lightning strokes right through his body.

Everything happened so fast after that. Jack could hardly remember where Ennis got lube and a condom, but when he pushed into Jack, he was all coated, though all the foreplay had made Jack ready enough. And Jack swore he was done in ten seconds, and his head shut off almost immediately after the intense releases. Exhausted, he must have dosed off for a few beats, but he woke up on his back, and the sight in front of him made him smile.

Ennis was cussing quietly and wiping a warm cloth on his stomach. Then he threw the cloth away and gently pulled Jack's underwear and jeans up from where they had been around his calves. Jack arched his hips to help and watched Ennis closely as he moved to button up his jeans. Careful hands then pulled his T-shirt down to cover his belly, rubbing the wrinkles in the fabric of Jack's T-shirt. He never met Jack's eyes, but didn't pull away when Jack caught his wrist.

"Ennis, look at me."

Ennis flicked his eyes up shyly, his cheeks flushed pale pink when he muttered, "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Jack pushed himself up to the sitting position. "For _that_?"

"Well, yeah. I was just… Something got into me, apparently." He rolled his eyes. "…shit. I hurt you?"

"No." Jack smiled broadly. "But I'm pretty disappointed about one thing." Ennis met Jack's eyes fully now, his face serious and full of pure innocent curiosity. Jack balled Ennis's shirt in his hands and pulled him in. "You pushed me away at first. Can I have a kiss now?"

"Sorry," Ennis shrugged and looked down, a smile ghosting his lips when Jack claimed the kiss he wanted. Ennis clamped shut his eyes in sweet surrender and savored the kiss that went deeper, and soon he pinned Jack back on the sofa again.

"Just so you know," Jack whispered against Ennis's lips. "You might want to check out the third episode that involves spaghetti…and the fourth. You will think that the guy is a professional yoga teacher and…"

"Shut up," Ennis growled, palmed Jack's face and playfully shook it, squeezing a puff of giggles from Jack. "I know you're gonna make fun of me, asshole."

"Remind me to thank Lee later," Jack said.

"Remind me to kick the sicko's ass into next week."

Jack laughed again, and Ennis allowed him to switch their positions. With a hum, Jack bent down to kiss him, probing his tongue softly into Ennis's mouth. It was nice. Yeah, but…it didn't feel 100% right… Umm…why? The position? Umm...it was good, the sofa was good. Jack's weight felt fine above him, all warm and…just right, his aftershave smelled nice, too, and he was making soft appreciative sounds like a cat being scratched as Ennis licked his jaw. But what was missing? It was too quiet around here. Ennis pushed Jack off and fixed the man above him with a horrified stare. He knew what was missing.

"Where's Flea?"

Jack's eyes got wide with alarm. "Shit!"

He bounced up, almost hitting Ennis in the process and rushed to open the door. Flea dashed into the room and into Jack's waiting arms, whining, his body shaking with cold and fear. Ennis snatched up a small blanket and hurried to wrap the little dog, dragging Jack whose face was as white as paper into the room and shutting the door.

Jack put Flea on the bed and they rubbed all over his shivering body, soothing him with quiet words and dog toys which he was just sulking at.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Jack was worried.

"I think he's just cold…and probably scared."

"Sorry, buddy." Flea made a sound, pretty much like a snort and they both looked down at him. Jack blinked. "I think he's pouting."

Flea made that sound again. Ennis observed him closer and shook his head in disbelief. "He looks mad."

"It is freezing outside. I'd be mad at us, too, if I was him."

"Shit."

"And he was outside for like…what? ten, fifteen minutes?" Jack quirked his brow but he was grinning. Ennis's answer to the smartass question was a kick on Jack's calf.

They petted the dog for a few quiet beats until Flea started to fidget in the pool of blanket. Jack watched him sniff the squeak ball and nudge it with this head, his body warmer under Jack's touch. "I think he's ok now."

Ennis rubbed the dog's smooth hair and nodded. "Yeah..."

"Wonder where those two ended up. A guy like Lee, I think he'd just drag Grant to the fire escape or something. It's a shame we don't have an elevator." Ennis snorted and lay down on the bed. Jack flopped down, too, and scooped the dog to his chest. "You know if Flea could talk, what he would say?"

"What?" Ennis watched Jack take one of Flea's legs in his hand and point his paw at him like Flea was a rag doll. Jack faked a somewhat doggie voice.

"You want me to freeze to death or something? What are you doing!!?!"

"Umm…" Ennis chewed his lip, pretended to think. "Studying?"

Jack burst out laughing. Flea sprang up on the mattress and barked, too, looking all perky again. After a few strokes from Ennis on the back, Flea ambled to the edge of the bed and played with Jack's pillow. Seems these guys still have more studying to do. Thank God, it was warm in here or he'd have turned into a frozen terrier by now.


	2. Chapter 2

**You & Me & a Dog Named Flea**: **The Series**  
**Disclaimer** : Annie Prouxl owns the timeless characters in BBM. I'm writing from love and making no profit.  
**Summary** : A sort-of sequel of an alternate universe fiction of Ennis and Jack (from Brokeback Mountain). Set in San Francisco; Jack Twist had a chance encounter with a veterinarian one day, didn't know the shy vet, and his black and white terrier, would have a permanent place in his heart.  
**My Deepest Thanks** always to Judy, my ultimate beta!  
**Feedback** : means the world to me:)

**Two: Blast from the Past: **Jack's past is about to mold Ennis's and their future.

_"Ennis, I know it's your day off but we are having a meeting this afternoon with the new vet and I expect you there."__  
_  
That was Dr. Brown, calling him ten minutes ago. And that was why he had to look for a necktie in Jack's closet. He didn't snoop, even called for permission. Jack teased him, something he kind of expected. But that was alright. It was always so nice to hear him laugh.

Ennis randomly snatched a black necktie out of the drawer in the closet. As a result of the hasty movement, something fell on the floor. It was an envelope. He bent down to pick it up, was about to put it back in the drawer when something else slipped from the open flap and landed near his foot. It was a ring.

Nothing was written on the envelope, but judging from the weight, there was something more in it. Ennis felt his brows knot, and he didn't allow any reasonable voice in him to say a word as he pulled out a small card and read it. _Don't ask me again how much I love you, Brent._

_--  
_

"What happened?" Grant asked. He stopped loading beers into the fridge and looked across the dim club at Ennis who was supposed to set the tables, not just stand there and stare into emptiness. The blond vet shrugged and murmured something that sounded like 'nothing'. Grant swept his eyes down Ennis's formal wear—a white shirt and black trousers, and crooked his brow. "I thought you didn't have to work today."

"Had a meeting. We'll have a new vet to help out when Dr. Brown is in Seattle. He's going there next week to do some research."

"Yeah, you must be busy then." Grant shut the fridge and walked over to help Ennis move a big table against the wall near the bar. "We'll put the food here so the guys can have easy access to the beers in the fridge back there. What do you think?"

Ennis smiled his first smile of the day. "It's your day. You can put the food upstairs for all I care."

"Well, now you just made a going-on-thirty-nine birthday party sound like something I can look forward to. Just a half hour ago, I accepted my own fate to be a slave on my birthday 'cause I can see the aftermath coming, you know…dirty dishes and a club that looks pretty much like someone has just thrown in a bomb."

Ennis snorted. He had seen the guest list and that was why he decided to join the party. He knew some of the people from the Velvet. But the truth was Ennis didn't really give it much thought 'cause it was Grant's birthday. The man had become someone he could rely on besides Jack. Ennis always enjoyed his company. So he had to be here anyway.

Everything was settled into place within an hour. Some other guys and girls arrived with loads of snack at six thirty and the party pretty much started with Nirvana's _Come As You Are_ rumbling in the background. Ennis volunteered to stay out of the spotlight behind the bar, and took care of the popcorn in the popper that was cooking and bouncing in the microwave like an erupting volcano. For a minute, he let his mind wander to the ring and the card in Jack's drawer. Knew damn well it was a normal thing to do between lovers, well, ex-lovers, giving presents and such, but still he couldn't help but see the image of Jack and that man together, that man who gave Jack the ring to prove his love while Ennis tied Jack with a bracelet of beads that he didn't even buy. But Jack took great care of it after all, taking it off every time he took the shower or bathed Flea and stuff. On his day off, Ennis was used to see the bracelet and a Salt Lake City keychain on the nightstand first thing in the morning, while Jack was dressing up for work. He would bury himself back under the blanket, listening to Jack's and Flea's footsteps that echoed around the room in absolute peacefulness. Never before had the bracelet and the keychain made Ennis feel so small, like a fool in a teen movie who gave his high school crush an empty promise that their love would last forever and ever.

Ennis looked down at the bracelet around his wrist. He remembered Jack's face when he gave it to him. The truth was, Ennis didn't think he would forget that look ever, how those eyes got wide and swimming with feelings. He wondered how Jack looked when that man gave him the ring, that man who was now strolling gracefully into the club with a big box of presents in his hand and a thousand-watt smile, Ennis saw from the corner of his eyes.

It was a surprise visit, obviously, 'cause Grant hurried to Brent with an astonished look. With a curse, Ennis stayed rooted behind the bar, until Grant found him and a bowl of popcorn glued together like Siamese twins. "I swear I didn't plan this. He said he couldn't make it when I told him about the party."

Ennis tried to look neutral. "No worries, Grant. It's your day. Enjoy the party."

Grant sighed. Somebody was calling Grant's name and a minute later, when Grant was still hesitating, Brent showed up beside him. He put his elbows on the bar and smiled down at them all too friendly-like. "Hey. Why are you hiding here? Let's play darts."

Ennis pushed his beer bottle into Grant's hand. _Well, if the man wants to play darts, then darts it is. _

_--_

Ennis hadn't picked up the phone when Jack called a while ago. But he wasn't worried 'cause Ennis was at the club. The idea of Ennis hanging out with his friends was giving him a thrill and Jack found himself smiling widely as he stepped into the Bay & Bridge. Instead of typical 80s music, he was greeted by crazy cheering and yelling, making him blink in surprise. Grant having a wild birthday party instead of a quiet one was the last thing he imagined.

Stepping carefully into the middle of the room, Jack saw that everyone had their back turned to him, concentrating on something on the far wall of the club. He tried to look over others' heads, but before he spotted anything, Grant dragged him out of the circle of madness to the bar where another popper of popcorn was rotating and cooking in the microwave.

"What's happening?" he required. "What's everyone cheering at?"

"A dart game that involves vodka for each round's loser that never seems to end."

Jack snickered. "That's wild. Who's winning now?"

"Brent."

"He's here?" Grant nodded, handing Jack a bottle of beer, suddenly looking uncomfortable. Jack narrowed his eyes at Grant above a Budweiser. "You don't look good," Jack observed then drank a big gulp of beer. "Who's losing?"

"Ennis."

Jack choked on the beer. "Ennis!?! Why is Ennis playing darts with Brent?"

"Because it's fun?"

"Ha ha ha." Jack feigned a laugh.

"They've been playing the game for hours. I think they have drunk more vodka than the Russians drink in a week."

Jack moved back to the crowd, squeezed in and emerged behind Brent's tall frame. And, sure enough, Ennis was standing in the circle of people, forehead furrowed with intense concentration as he aimed with one eye at the dart board on the far wall, the red dart in his grip.

Everyone was quiet, all the attention following the dart that was now flying toward the board. It hit the green slot several inches from the bull's-eye, below the blue dart that was standing proud and tall on the red slot near the bull's-eye.

With a grunt, Ennis turned to empty out the small glass of vodka and grimaced. Brent chuckled, was about to start another game, but Jack jumped up to block his way. Brent smiled. "Hey."

"Brent," Jack nodded then simply walked up to Ennis who swayed a little when he caught his arm. "You ok?"

"Yep," Ennis said, but gently pried his arm from Jack's hold and jerked his chin at Brent. "Your turn now, huh?"

"Come on, Ennis. That's enough," Jack whispered.

"Nope. Not gonna stop 'til I knock him down."

Jack turned to Grant for help but was dragged out of the circle instead. They ended up sitting on the couch behind the bar together, munching popcorn as the cheering erupted again. "Sorry about that…" Jack murmured.

"No, I'm sorry. Brent said he couldn't make it but I should have known him better. That man loves to surprise people."

"Yeah…some things never change." Jack drew his legs up to sit Indian-style on the couch as another round of cheering exploded. He sighed. "It would be a hell of a lot easier if I could just throw Brent out of the club, not that I'm going to do it on your birthday, but you know what I mean."

"No, you can't, and not because it's my birthday party."

"I know." Jack ate a mouthful of popcorn. "Sometime I wonder if there'll come a day when I look at Brent without guilt eating at me. Or if I will ever see him as a regular person, Tom, Dick, or Harry, or a hotdog guy who I can just bare my teeth at on my bad days without feeling anything."

"Boy, you would glare at a hotdog guy on your bad days?"

"Whatever, Grant, what I mean is Brent knows I feel guilty for leaving him and he makes sure I won't forget that. I feel like he is a damn tattoo on my skin, like something haunting me from the past. And I don't understand why he wanted to play darts with Ennis, like he didn't know the consequences of what I have to deal with after the party's over."

"Or he didn't care."

"Or he wanted me to deal with consequences," Jack said, squinting when he heard the guys cheer _Ennis! Ennis!_ and knew without looking that Ennis was about to throw another ounce of vodka down his throat. Well, nobody was forcing him, who knew, he might be having a good time. _Like hell_, Jack cussed. After a while of doing nothing but tossing popcorn into his mouth, Jack noticed the absence of Lee. "Where's Lee?"

"He'll be a bit late. Said he has to see his mom or something."

"Hopefully he'll be on time for the cleaning up," Grant snorted. "Sorry, I can't help it."

Lee arrived in ten minutes and asked for a rewind of what was going on. Jack left Grant to do the explaining while he stood up on the bar and observed the progress of the dart game.

In the end, Brent and Ennis played that stupid dart game for half the night until they were too drunk to grab the darts and too unfocused to make out where the dart board was. The clock finally ticked two A.M. and Jack managed to ignore them both as he helped Lee clean up the place while Grant sent off the guests. At one point, Lee elbowed him to look across the club to where Brent and Ennis were practically sprawling semi-unconsciously on the long seats. They were pretty noisy, either drunk-blindly snapping each other or talking in their sleep. Lee jerked his chin there. "What're you gonna do?"

Without hearing Jack's answer, Lee headed that way, leaving Jack no choice but to follow. And later he found himself wincing down at the two totally wasted men; one had held his past and the other was, hopefully, holding his future, talking animatedly like they had known each other for years.

"It's fucking strange…" he caught Brent murmur. "Fucking Ripley…"

"Yeah, Jack did that sometime." Now Ennis grunted back, rolling his head without opening his eyes. _I did what?_ Jack made quick eye-contact with Lee, feeling his stomach lurching. _Was he supposed to hear this?__  
_  
"He…" Brent drawled. "He used to…_ek_…went all the way to L.A. and we cerebrated my birthday…_ek_."

"Yeah?" Ennis slurred. He struggled to open his eyes, but failed. With a groan, he rolled to his side and started to giggle. "You know he…he hates fucking cockroaches." Lee snorted. Jack rolled his eyes but Ennis seemed to have more to say to his long-lost best friend, _Jesus_. "And spiders. Once he…he…kinda froze and…" Crazy giggles. "…had that look in his face like someone just…fucking died. Turned out the poor spider was crawling on his leg…and it was this tiny…"

Brent laughed, so did Lee. Jack shoved the red-haired man and grabbed Ennis's arm. "Ennis, come on. I'll take you upstairs."

"No…."

"Yeeeaaahh," Brent blurted out as he slumped sideways. "You know somethin'? I just love it when he…when he…shit…"

"Yeah…I love… Yeah, me, too, I love…" Ennis stopped, frowned and smiled. Jack swallowed. "…chicken curry…"

Lee burst out laughing. And with that, Brent and Ennis continued their murmurs and shared giggles again in their drunken world. Ennis said something more about food; turkey sandwich and chili. Jack caught Brent's chitchat about New York, baseball and iPod among other silly things.

A half hour later, Brent, who seemed to sober up after being forced to drink a cup of strong coffee, said he would go home. Not the best idea 'cause in his condition, there was no way in hell and heaven Brent could go home in one piece. Ennis was stretched out on the long seat, sound asleep now and snoring softly under the warmth from his own jacket that was covering him up to his nose. Grant and Lee were talking and Jack saw them steal kisses behind the bar. Jack sat on the end of seat, looking at Brent who was kneading his temple quietly. "How're you doing?"

Brent groaned. "I'm ok. But I have to go."

"You can't drive like this," Jack said matter-of-factly. "You're drunk."

"Tell me something I don't know." Brent smirked, and automatically, Jack reached out to rub Ennis's thigh, knowing Brent was watching, but didn't stop. Damn but it looked like Brent could use some rest.

"You can take a nap here. Wait until you feel better."

"I can't sleep anywhere but home, you know that."

"I remember." Jack sighed. "But I insist. You shouldn't drive." With a quick decision, he grabbed the familiar car key on the table. "Come on, I'll drive you."

--

Brent's apartment was the same modern room that looked like an extract from Home and Style magazine. Jack cautiously maintained a suitable distance as he followed Brent into his bedroom—still the same big room with striped silver and gold wallpaper that had always made him a bit cross-eyed.

Jack decided to linger behind as Brent started to undress and got under the blanket with a stifled groan. "God, can you get me some water and pills? My head hurts like hell."

"Ok." Jack tried not to think about anything when he walked to the bathroom and opened just the right cabinet and took out just the right bottle of pills. It was no use pretending to be lost in this enormous apartment of your ex just to prove that you didn't feel something for him anymore.

Back to the bedroom, he watched Brent swallow the pills and water and was about to turn off the light when Brent called out, "Why did you do this?"

"You can't drive."

"You still feel something for me, don't you? It's ok. Nobody's here. It's just us, like before."

Jack sat down on the lone chair near the bed. "Maybe I do feel something. It could be guilt. And I still care about you. Or maybe I'm here because I feel like we haven't talked properly about us." He looked at Brent who slid a little more into the blanket. "It's always been nothing but good being with you, Brent. I want you to know that."

"Then come back to me. I've missed you."

"Can't." Jack squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I really hope I can make you understand how I feel about Ennis without hurting you. What we've had, it was great. You were a great partner. You did nothing wrong, but what I have with Ennis, it's…more intense… It's…"

"You can be direct, Jack. You lost your love for me, say it, I can handle that." Jack ran fingers through his hair nervously. Brent's simple but harsh words like a dart came piercing into a board that was his heart. Brent continued bitterly, "How do you know it won't happen again? How can you be so sure you wouldn't dump him like you did me when you find somebody new?"

Jack slumped against the back of the chair. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Make me."

Jack rubbed his face. "Brent… Being with you is about confidence and stability. It's about walking on water and you make me feel proud and strong. But the truth is I'm not perfect, nor that strong. And Ennis isn't either, like me. With him, it's about a journey of up and down, of discovery, and I wake up every day to find new things about him. Like tonight, I know now he can be pretty animated when he's wasted." Jack chuckled a bit as he thought back to a super-friendly, drunken Ennis. "With him, it's about fulfilling each other…and it's about double espresso in the morning and frozen beef lasagna at night… I don't know, it's hard to explain…"

"That intense, huh?"

Jack exhaled as he nodded. "Yeah. It scares me sometimes."

After a few quiet minutes, Brent finally let out a sigh and rubbed his weary eyes. "Shit, I was acting like a jerk tonight. Sorry about that. There's a devil in me that just won't go away. Are you going to be ok?"

Jack felt the tension seep from his body. "Are you?" Jack tossed the same question back at Brent. And it wasn't only about his drunken condition.

"I guess. Well, I _have _to be ok finally. But fuck, I'm gonna have a headache come morning." Brent groaned and slid down deeper under the blanket, patting the space on the edge of the bed. But Jack didn't go there. He just reached to lower the level of the light on the nightstand when Brent caught his wrist. "There's something else, isn't it?"

Brent's hold was strong, and it pressed the beaded bracelet on his skin. Jack nodded. "There is. I'm here because I want to end this properly. We're really over, Brent. I'm in love with someone else. I feel guilty every time I see you, but it's not going to change anything."

Brent let go of his wrist and turned on his side. The light from the bulb wasn't enough for Jack to see the emotions on the handsome face that was facing away from him. "Damn it," Brent whispered after a silent beat. "Thought I could handle this. But fuck it hurts."

"I'm sorry…" Jack said softly, wanting Brent to know he meant it, really meant it, and he didn't know how long he stayed there. But Brent hadn't moved by the time the clock struck three in the morning. He might be asleep or might not, Jack didn't know. He looked around the room, wondering what tomorrow might bring, if he and Brent would be total strangers or, as his selfish heart always hoped, they could be friends again.

--

Ennis had a restless sleep. And there were reasons behind it; his head hurt, his stomach roared from too much booze, the uncomfortable position on Grant's sofa, and the fact that every time he woke up to the darkness, Jack hadn't yet come back.

He knew Jack had gone to that man's place 'cause he wasn't that drunk when Lee and Grant dragged him up to Grant's room on the second floor. He heard Grant tell Lee about that, and heard Lee spit '_Fucker, hasn't he ever learned something?_' before they laid him on the long sofa.

Ennis was certain nothing would happen. Besides, it was the other way around this time; Jack was sober while that man was drunk. The past wouldn't repeat itself. But Ennis felt disturbed, so disturbed that even the alcohol couldn't calm him, though he really couldn't put his finger on why. Maybe he wouldn't feel like this if he hadn't seen that ring.

He heard footsteps from downstairs, so did Grant, 'cause he was now heading out of the bedroom to the door. Ennis also heard Grant and Jack exchange words softly before he saw Jack bend down to look at him, fingers threading through the hair above his ear. "Hey." Jack sat down when he saw Ennis wasn't sleeping. "Get some sleep, Ennis."

"Where you been?" Asked for the answer he'd already known.

"Brent's drunk. I drove him home. How're you feeling?"

"What if there was a fire?"

"What?" Ennis could see Jack's puzzled expression from the light seeping through the crack of the curtain.

"What if there was a fire here?"

Jack shook his head ruefully. "There wasn't."

"What if there was? Here, while you were tending to him."

"I'm not tending to him. I just drove him home." Jack scooted closer and looked straight into his eyes. Ennis believed him but couldn't stop the words that were pouring out of his mouth. It was like there was somebody pulling the strings, rousing the evil Ennis Del Mar who refused to live with reasons.

"So here comes the same question again," Ennis heard himself say, voice cracking. "What if there was fire here while you were gone? What if there was a major earthquake? A tornado?"

Jack threw his arms in the air. "What's your problem, Ennis? You know I'll come back. I'll run, hail a cab. It's less than five minutes from there."

Ennis looked at Jack in the dark, knew damn well that Jack was trying his best to deal with his stubbornness and stupidity. But the evil Ennis finally won. He abruptly covered his face with his sweater, his voice muffled when he said, "Too late. I'm already dead."

--

Ennis still felt that deadness in him several days later, and Martha looked concerned.

"Here. Take a couple of pills and sleep it off." She handed him a bottle of painkillers which Ennis refused. Ennis muttered a thank you and tried to continue reading the report as Martha stepped closer. "I'll put it here then."

"Thanks," Ennis muttered but didn't look at the bottle of pills on the table. He was trying to read, had been working hard to focus and had succeeded only for about five minutes until Martha came in. _Damn it._ Ennis glanced at the small white bottle. Couldn't read now, might as well take some pills and, if he was lucky, he might be able to get some sleep.

But that wasn't likely to happen, for one thing, luck wasn't his best friend. Not to mention Jack's question now came haunting at the back of his mind again; _what's your problem?__  
_  
Ennis looked at the Salt Lake Temple postcard and put down the report. _Need to get out of here. Need more space to breathe._ And for the next thirty minutes, Ennis still thought about Jack and his question as he strolled in the park with Flea. Hell, he hated it when they fought. And for God's sake, he'd started it this time. He blamed it all on the ring he found in Jack's drawer. But maybe it was just a scapegoat. He could give a ring to Jack if he wanted to, and Jack would wear it, no doubt about that. So what was the problem?

He was the problem, he and how he was placing one of his feet in Jack's room and the other in his haunted apartment that still smelled strongly of the Ennis Del Mar he used to be.

He felt determined. Not so often that determination was on his side, so he'd better hang on to it. Ennis grabbed his cell and called Jack. Jack picked it up fast, like he was waiting for the call.

"Jack," he started. "I want you to go some place with me."

"Where?" A cautious inquiry.

"My apartment." Ennis kicked some random dry branch near his feet, and watched it fall into the pond. "The last piece of me."

--

Jack didn't know what to expect. But Ennis's apartment was pretty much what he had thought it would be; small, mature and simple with just enough furniture for a bachelor who was hardly ever home.

Ennis tossed a key on the bed as Flea started his sniffing around the place. The curtain was being snatched open and Jack had to squint his eyes as the late afternoon sun beamed in. Quietly, Ennis sank down on the bed. Jack wasn't sure if Ennis realized how Ennis's eyes seemed to say 'come here' when their eyes met, really met for the first time after Friday night. So Jack sat on the bed, too, not so close to Ennis, and not so far.

The silence was heavy. Flea looked like he couldn't stand it and jumped up on the bed. And that was when Jack decided to break the ice. "Look, Ennis."

"No, you listen to me," Ennis interrupted. "I don't know why you still have to, well, be around your ex…but..."

"I'm not…"

"But that's what makes you the way you are, I mean…you're still you, before and after you met me. And I guess that's what I, well, like about you." Ennis flicked his eyes up at Jack and looked down again. "I'm the one who's changed, you're not. I just can't seem to accept that and make everyone around me crazy."

Jack moved closer. "You're the same Ennis Del Mar I know."

"I'm not and you know damn well what I mean, Jack."

"Can't say I don't like that change…" Jack shrugged, earning a shove on his shoulder.

"I'm serious."

Jack sat cross-leg on the bed and watched Flea play with his rubber bone while he collected his thoughts. He felt the need to be true to himself, and to Ennis. "I'm not gonna lie to you. I still care about Brent but it's not what you think. It's not based on love. I don't know, it might be either guilt or gratitude. He was there for me when I was struggling with this being gay thing and when we dated, he was nothing but good to me. I can't just ignore him especially when he needed me. That night, I just drove him home because he was drunk and that was all, Ennis."

"I know."

"You know?" Jack asked. "So why…"

Ennis shrugged. "I saw his ring in your drawer."

Jack blinked. It took him some time to finally understand what Ennis was talking about. The ring that Brent gave him in L.A. where they were celebrating Brent's birthday but it turned out he was the one who got the present. It was his favorite accessory until the gorgeous but humble African beads took over its place in his heart. "It's the past, Ennis."

Ennis shrugged again, grimaced a little this time. "I know. I was feeling stupid and…shit…come here, you." He grabbed Jack's arm and laid them down on the well-made bed with Jack on top. Flea sniffed closer but Ennis threw the ball out to the floor, making the little dog bounce down to his favorite toy. Jack looked down at him questioningly and Ennis blew out nervous air. "I want you to do this."

"Do what?" Jack asked, but Ennis could tell from his soft eyes that Jack knew what he wanted.

"This." He slid Jack's hand from his flank to rest on his hips, and pushed his groin up to make his point. Jack gasped, still didn't avert his eyes from Ennis.

"Are you saying…?"

"Yes." He clutched the back of Jack's head and kissed him, probing his tongue inside that sweet mouth. "Just do it here, chase away the old Ennis Del Mar and make me new, make me whole."

"Jesus," Jack gritted his teeth as Ennis pushed his hips up again, rubbing their heated bodies more forcefully. "But do you want this?"

"Don't you know by now that I want this? You really have to ask?"

"Oh, Ennis." One more kiss, and Ennis closed his eyes, trying to relax as Jack's hands slowly peeled off his clothes. He'd never felt this exposed in his whole life, exposed, defenseless, but he wasn't scared. The truth was he thought he even looked forward to it. He wanted to live real, wanted to be strong. And Jack's touch was gentle. The weight of his hands that were dotting on his naked skin was solid and possessive, and Ennis had to wonder why he ever suspected that Jack would have eyes for someone else, even when he had been telling Ennis whichever way possible that Ennis was the only one for him.

Jack Twist might still care for all his exes, but that was his loving nature, and that was what Ennis adored about that man. But damn, he was going to make sure that Brent guy was history.

Ennis was flipped on his stomach, Jack's kisses sprayed on his shoulders and back. He laid his body, his soul in Jack's hands, didn't shy away, and didn't even stiffle a moan of pleasure when he felt Jack inside him, knowing whatever happened in the future, he wasn't facing it alone.

--

"What is it?" Jack blinked when Ennis slid a small gray box made of cardboard across the table in the kitchen. Ennis made a face as if it was the stupidest question. "What? I know it's a box. But why do I need a box?"

"Umm…let's see…to keep things you don't need anymore?"

Jack opened his mouth but what he was going to say stuck in his throat when Ennis let the insecurity in him show in his eyes, maybe for the first time. "I'll throw _it _away if you want."

"If you wanted to throw it away, you'd have done that by now. I know you're not ready."

Suddenly, Jack jumped up on his feet and walked with the box to the closet. Ennis watched as he put the envelope into the box, then moved to the bookshelf and swept some books down as well. After a pause, Jack swiftly turned to the bathroom. Ennis's eyes got wide in shock. "You got that much stuff?"

Jack answered by simply bringing the box which was now half-filled with things and putting it on the table. Ennis grabbed the bottle containing the light green liquid and lifted it up to his nose to sniff. "Christ, Jack. Is this the aftershave…" _that I like?_ He didn't say it out loud but of course Jack knew. On more than one occasion, he had admitted to liking the smell of that stuff, especially on Jack. Jack nodded, seized it and put it back in the box.

"I'll buy a new one. Or you can buy that for me."

"I'm not buying shit for you," Ennis murmured, pretending to look through other stuff in the box, but he was smiling. Jack smiled, too, and swatted his hand away. He closed the lid and gave it a healthy pat, then they just looked across the table at each other, no words were exchanged, both contented in just looking.

Ennis's cell rang, breaking the spell. It was from Dr. Emily West, the new vet, and he picked up the call, peeling Jack's hand off the box and drawing the man closer to him. "Dr. West," Jack's arm wound around his waist and Ennis was pulled into the warmth of his broad chest and welcomed by kisses on his neck, jaw and cheek. "Tomorrow is fine with me," Ennis coaxed out. "I'm real glad that you would like to look at my place. It's in a very quiet area. I think you will like it."


	3. Chapter 3

**You & Me & a Dog Named Flea**: **The Series**  
**Disclaimer** : Annie Prouxl owns the timeless characters in BBM. I'm writing from love and making no profit.  
**Summary** : A sort-of sequel of an alternate universe fiction of Ennis and Jack (from Brokeback Mountain). Set in San Francisco; Jack Twist had a chance encounter with a veterinarian one day, didn't know the shy vet, and his black and white terrier, would have a permanent place in his heart.  
**My Deepest Thanks** always to Judy, my ultimate beta!  
**Feedback** : means the world to me:)

**Three: Dancing Balloons**: One sad night, balloon were dancing in the wind.

Blame it on the lack of affection from his childhood, sometimes Jack felt like he could snuggle with Ennis all day. Like yesterday after dinner, they were watching TV, leaning on each other like dominos on the sofa, with Flea on his lap. Today was Friday--Ennis's day off, and Jack felt like having some sweet love again. Well, he couldn't help it, Ennis was addictive. So he came home early and they ate Chinese and watched Eight Below on DVD together. Jack sat on the floor, tipping his head back on Ennis's thigh, enjoying the petting on his hair and Flea's occasional excited barks at the dogs in the movie.

Most of the time, Ennis didn't seem to mind his snuggling. He let Jack burrow close to him whenever he wanted, never said 'no' to whatever Jack wanted when they were alone in the apartment. Sometimes, like the other day when he was reading some reports on the bed, Jack felt a strong need to feel his kisses and touches, wanted so badly to feel Ennis's body press tightly on his own as if they were one, wanted to be enveloped in the man's strong hold—be reminded again that he had someone he loved by his side. So he snatched the report and practically threw it to the floor and drove in for a kiss. Ennis wrenched his face away, pushed his chest, and just looked at him with those warm brown eyes for a long time. His expression was of wonder. And Jack remembered he had to stop and touch Ennis's face so tender. While he wanted to be loved, Ennis still couldn't believe that of all the people in this world, his love was what Jack wanted.

_Why me?_ he would ask in a whisper while they were making love. Jack would shake his head and snuggle even closer. There was no answer to that and they both knew it. Still, Jack understood very well why Ennis came up with that question once in a while. Because he, too, couldn't believe this was happening, that after years of being alone, at last, they found each other.

"Ennis?" Jack patted Ennis's jeans-clad calf, tilting his head up to look at him. "So what did she say?"

"Hmmm?"

"The new vet. Would she take your apartment?"

"Don't know yet. But the probability is low. She thinks it's too…"

"Depressing?"

"No, dumbass." He kicked Jack's thigh. "She prefers someplace downtown."

"Oh," Jack chewed the inside of his cheek. After a short while of silence, Jack dared to look up at Ennis on the sofa again. Ennis looked angelic from this angle. Jack loved how his thick lashes batted when he was concentrating on something. He remembered how those lashes tickled sensually on his cheekbones when they kissed.

"What?" Sensing that he'd been watched, Ennis murmured, his lips barely moved.

"But you'll sell it, right? Even if she doesn't take it, I mean, the apartment." Ennis looked down at him. Then he shrugged, swung one of his legs across Jack's chest.

"Yep."

"Yep?" Jack bent around to face Ennis, struggled to leverage himself on his knees. "You mean it?"

"Yep."

"Yeah." Jack met Ennis half way for a kiss. He loved kissing Ennis, loved to feel his lips open and hear his soft moan when he licked the base of his tongue. Ennis's sandpaper-like stubble felt so fine under his palm.

Jack moved, wiggling his body closer, and deepened the kiss, smiling when Ennis's lashes batted and brushed his cheekbones.

That night was strangely emotional. They stayed tucked under the blanket, legs and arms tangled all warm and fuzzy while sharing stories about their childhoods. Jack felt a pang in his chest when he talked about the past, like his heart had been cut open again after being locked and sealed for a long time. But Ennis's hand that was rubbing there was soothing. Words that were pouring out of his mouth weren't as bitter as they used to be.

"You know, much as I hated my childhood, I can remember a lot of things," Jack said in a whisper against Ennis's chest. "I remember how daddy spat when I told him I wanted to go to college in Texas. I was working so hard for it. I thought this, this will be the time daddy would be proud of me. Before that, I was just a kid and I couldn't do shit on the farm. I thought this would be the time that I could show daddy that I could actually do something. Turned out he spat on me, saying I was just running away like a sissy. If I was a real man, I would have wanted to work on a farm 'cause I was born a farm boy, not carrying books around acting all fancy in college…"

"Jack…." A kiss on his hair.

"I'm ok now, Ennis," he said. "It just hurts thinking back. After high school, I just left home 'cause of what he had said. I should have faced him, told him that I didn't want to work on his farm, stood my ground. Daddy's accusation was right. I was a coward. Now even if I write a book that sells millions, daddy would still spit at me, I guess."

"He wouldn't do that." Ennis rubbed his back in circles. "Hey, you're an editor now. Have you told your dad?"

"I still don't know what to write for the first issue of the new magazine."

"Don't matter…" Ennis combed Jack's hair. "I think he'd be proud. People change."

"Yeah?"

"Hmmm."

"But I can't think about shit. I swear I can hear daddy laugh at me." Jack looked up at Ennis in the dimness of the room, worry and uncertainty in his eyes. "And I only have a week."

Ennis grimaced. "It's just writer's block. You will think of something."

"In a week."

"In a week," Ennis echoed with a sharp nod. "Thank God, I don't have a vet's block."

Jack chuckled despite everything. He looked at Ennis who was mocking him with wide eyes in an attempt to lighten up the mood, feeling his throat tighten as he stroked Ennis's cheek. "God. Where have you been all my life, Ennis Del Mar?"

"See? Words are coming."

"Smartass."

Jack went to work very early the next day and tried to write something. But he couldn't, his head still empty and hollow. Google didn't prove to be helpful either. It was even worse when the source of his love and strength came home looking all gloomy and sad. Ennis told him that the dog with a tumor he had taking care of for a week had died. It was only a few days after he had put down another dog with the same symptoms.

"I can never get used to animals dying," Ennis said. He didn't want to cuddle or anything, just sat on the bed and played with Flea quietly. But he did smile a little and said thanks as Jack handed him a cup of coffee. They sat together, listening to all the sounds of the world outside, until Ennis let go of his tension and leant on Jack's forearm with a sigh.

"I can hardly remember the night when my parents died. K.E. said I went upstairs and read some books. Could that be even possible?"

"You were just a kid." Jack squeezed Ennis's knee and moved to rub Flea's smooth hair on his back. "Maybe you were just trying not to think that your mom and dad had gone."

"Denial?"

"Could be."

Ennis's hand joined Jack's to scratch Flea's ear. The dog sighed and rolled on his back, exposing his white belly for more strokes and pampering. "We need to take Flea out for more exercise. Damn, he's getting fat."

Flea looked up at them upon hearing his name, showing off the new red collar Jack had bought for him the other day. The little dog got tired easily, so Ennis didn't take him out when he did the training for the marathon (which was coming up in two months) without Jack. He worried Flea would get lost or get chased by other bigger dogs. And much as Jack figured Flea wasn't at risk to get any tumors at this age, he wasn't going to counter Ennis's thoughts right now. Jack shifted his arm, watching as Ennis's head rolled to rest on the crook of his neck. "Next time you go to Golden Gate Park, I'll come along and take Flea. He can run around a bit."

"Umm…"

"Are you going there tomorrow?"

"Probably," Ennis said, his soft curls tickling Jack's ear. And Jack hugged him tightly to his chest.

Brent never cuddled. The weird thing was Jack never thought Brent would want to. Well, he was the fucked-up one of the two; a confused, love-starved gay man from Wyoming who had never done his father proud while Brent was a successful banker with more than enough love to share. Jack was content just to bury himself in the man's warm hold and get comforted like a cat, never really thought of doing the same thing back to him.

Ennis didn't want to cuddle that often either, but when he did, Jack made sure his arms would make him feel protected and loved, the same way Ennis's embrace did to him.

"Shit," Jack said when they just hugged on the bed, limp and miserable. "We need to do something. I love snuggling with you, but if that's because we're depressed then we really need to do something for a change."

"Something for a change?"

"Yes." Jack patted his back. "Come on. If we're like this, I still can't think of things to write and you won't get over the poor dogs. Let's go out."

"Now?" Ennis looked horrified. "It's ten thirty. What about Flea?"

"He's fed and is going to sleep. We'll take him out to the park tomorrow. Come on, Ennis."

San Francisco at night was still pretty much alive. They strolled on California Street, didn't talk much, until Jack stopped at the crossroad and turned to Ennis, his sparkling eyes suddenly making Ennis nervous.

"Let's do this," Jack said at the same time Ennis covered his ears and shook his head.

"I'm not listening."

"Come on, it'd be fun." Jack punched his stomach teasingly. "Let's split up here and find something for each other. Meet me again at the park near the apartment at…eleven forty-five."

And with that, Jack bounced away with a broad smile, didn't leave a gap for Ennis's objections. Ennis watched with hanging mouth until that crazy man disappeared around the next corner. "Jack Fucking Twist."

It was a stupid idea in as many ways as possible. The only shops that were still welcoming customers at this hour were pubs and restaurants. There were some venders selling secondhand books and stuff, too. Ennis paused to scan some rocks at one of the venders. The Indian-looking man who was the seller claimed that they were Hindu charms, containing power from Hindu God and Goddess or something. Ennis politely nodded and reluctantly stepped away, didn't catch how the guy went burbling on about the rocks behind his back.

There was a bookstore across the street, so Ennis headed there and slipped inside the sliding door. It was almost deserted. He didn't know most of the best-selling books on the display, wasn't even sure if Jack would want to have any books. "Let's buy something for each other…" Ennis muttered to himself. "Well, guess you don't want any books, huh, Jack?"

So off he went. With a sigh, Ennis stood in front of the store and just looked around. People were chatting and walking by him, some were just smoking and laughing, and Ennis found himself averting his eyes from all the sights and sounds up to the starry sky.

_What would Jack want?_

Jack wanted Ennis. He could just come up to the man and say, '_I'm packed and ready to move in with you, take me_'… Ennis rolled his eyes, feeling heat spreading from his chest up to his ears anyway.

And there, at the corner of his eyes, Ennis spotted something that struck his heart. They were stupid, alright. But he recalled the story that Jack used to tell him about Ferris wheels. Jack loved Ferris wheels 'cause they could take him closer to the sky. But Ennis was just an ordinary man. He wasn't David Copperfield who could probably bring Jack Ferris wheels with a snap of his fingers. He could only hope Jack would love them…

--

Jack wanted to get everything for Ennis.

He had already gotten a few silly things like dracula fangs, a Batman mask, and a fake but seriously genuine-looking toad made of sea-green soft rubber from a vender's stall full of weird stuff. But he still hopped from one vender to another, trying to find some more funny things that would make Ennis laugh.

But the truth was Jack already had the one thing he wanted so much to give to Ennis. It was here in his sweater pocket. Jack wondered if he could do something with it, like have it wrapped and tied with ribbon. Better not. He still couldn't imagine Ennis's face when he saw it. He might not be so happy…well. So Jack thought he would just hand it to Ennis, like it was a simple thing to be given away, like a cup of coffee. Yes.

He bought some more tropical fruit flavor candies from an old Asian woman and headed back home. When Jack reached the park, Ennis was already sitting on the bench, his features silhouetted in the orange street light.

"You're late," he said, a soft smile spreading across his face. Jack had to frown when he didn't see a single thing within Ennis's grasp, nothing at all, his hand clasped together between his knees even.

"What did you get me?" he asked, glancing around. Ennis didn't answer, but simply blinked at the bag Jack was holding instead.

"Shit, Jack, where did you get all that stuff?" he asked back.

"I don't see your bag." Jack ignored that question. "What did you get me?"

"I want to see what's in the bag first."

"Me first?" Jack crooked his brow.

"You started this, right?"

"Right. Ok. Scoot over." Jack sat Indian style with Ennis on the bench, putting the bag in the space between them and looked inside, pushing Ennis's forehead when he sneaked a look. "Give me your hand."

Chuckling, Ennis obeyed. He blinked when three candies wrapped in glossy pink and green plastic were laid on his palm. "Candies?"

"Mango flavor. We don't get to taste it every day. They're made in the Philippines or Thailand or something. Give me your other hand and close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes."

"Why?" Ennis narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Jack who simply reached out and dragged the pad of his fingers over his eyelids down to his cheeks, sealing his eyes closed.

Within a second, Ennis felt a sponge-like, cool object on his palm that sent goosebumps all over his body in a disgusting kind of way. He shuddered, fighting to stay still. "Fuck, what's the hell is it?"

"A toad." Ennis sprang up on his feet, flapping his hand as if he had touched fire, cussing as a rubber toad rolled over onto the damp grass. Jack tossed his head back and burst out laughing like a kid.

"Very funny," Ennis murmured and threw the toad back at Jack, shaking his head nonetheless at his own panic over a rubber toy. "Shit, almost got a heart attack."

Jack was still laughing when Ennis settled back beside him again. He pulled out another thing from the bag; dracula fangs. "Wear these."

Ennis snorted. "Do I look like I'm crazy?"

"But I bought it for you."

"This isn't even Halloween."

Jack's blue eyes glistened when they fixed on his face. "So that means you will wear them for Halloween. I'll remember that."

Jack then let him look at the rest of the stuff by himself while he just smiled at Ennis's sudden enthusiasm. When Ennis met his eyes again, they were calm and serious. The sudden change of the air around them was like an invisible force that made Ennis's heart leap up. Before he knew it, Jack caressed his cheek the way he always did, then the same hand fished into his sweater pocket. "I got one more thing for you. Here."

Ennis slowly lifted his hand and watched as Jack laid a card and a lone silver key on his palm. Every minute rang so true as Ennis marveled at them like he was studying something so precious. The gentle breeze of the cool wind was ruffling his hair, making the moment feel more real.

"Move in with me now, Ennis." The wind carried Jack's word to him. "I know everything is still new to you and you still can't sell your apartment. But it's just a matter of time, right? We can start really slow. We will keep a low profile if you want. My place isn't that big, but it's big enough for two and the neighbors love dogs, too. And if you don't like something, well, the sofa is kinda old. It's a secondhand sofa, and the kitchen is messy. But you can change things you don't like, I mean, it will be your place as much as mine." When Ennis still didn't say anything, Jack coughed nervously. "Listen, I don't want you to feel pushed. But I really like being with you... Don't you like being with…me?"

Jack looked shy when he asked that and it brought a smile on Ennis's face. "I like being with you. But there're things to settle. I can't just move in."

"Yes, you can." Jack was pretty serious now and his hands were shaking a little. Ennis knew it wasn't from the cold.

"Hey," Ennis's face softened. "Hey, what happened?"

"I was afraid this would happen when I gave you the key. I was afraid you'd say no."

"I'm not saying no, Jack. Haven't I made myself clear the other day that I want to move in with you?"

"Really?"

"Yes. Ah, hell," Ennis heaved a sigh. "Alright. Just…ok. I'll move in. Fuck everything."

"Everything?" Jack choked out.

"Don't laugh. And don't ask me why, ask Grant," Ennis murmured, then took out a folded note from his wallet. There were messages written in order, the handwriting was of Ennis himself of course. _1. Sell the apartment, cancel the telephone number, 2. Tell Carol, K.E. and Mona/the clinic, 3. Will have to rearrange the bed position/need two nightstands, 4. Buy a new chest of drawers, move in some clothes and T.V. (2 T.V.?)…_

Jack should have laughed. He should have known that Grant would also try to help Ennis gain confidence and self-acceptance as a gay man with his theory. But he was too overwhelmed with emotions. Words were stuck in his throat. The image of Ennis, so serious about their relationship that he actually sat down and wrote this note, was making his hands shake even more.

"I'm just trying to find my way about a lot of new things that are happening," Ennis said. "I'm not a pillar for you to lean on but I'm working on it. 'Cause, Jack, you have no idea how much you mean to me and how many times just thinking about you helped me get through a tough time. I want to be strong for you, too. I want to be with you, Jack, you have to believe me. That's probably the only thing I'm sure about now."

Without words, Jack clutched the back of Ennis's head and put their foreheads together. A single tear dropped on the note from the action but he didn't care.

"Hey," Ennis was comforting him again, caressing his hands softly on Jack's cheeks. "Come on, I said _don't laugh_ but it doesn't mean you have to cry."

Jack sniffed and dragged his sleeve over his eyes, his voice still a little quivery when he whispered, "I love you."

"Really?" Ennis's turn to ask, his brow quirked up slightly. Jack's head moved in a small nod.

"…love you like I've never loved anyone before." His eyes drifted closed as he felt a kiss on his lips, deep, Ennis saying _I love you, too_ in his own special way that could finally summon a smile on Jack's face.

When their lips parted, Jack broke the silence again. "Well, it's your turn now. What did you get for me?"

"Ummm…" Ennis sighed. "This is going to be lame."

"I can handle lameness," Jack deadpanned.

Ennis rolled his eyes. "Do you want it or not?"

"Yes."

"Ok." He cleared his throat and inhaled deeply. "I remember you said you love Ferris wheels 'cause they take you closer to the sky." Ennis fidgeted a little but he could manage to continue. "But I can't get you a Ferris wheel. I got you what I could find. Though, I doubt if they can help you with the writer's block."

The mood to play was back, and Jack was about to tease Ennis about what had gotten him to talk a lot more than usual tonight. But Ennis had walked behind the tree and came out later with a handful of balloons in every color. Jack smiled through gathering tears that he thought had already dried off. "Where did you get them?"

"A restaurant. There was some kid's birthday party. The mom gave them to me after the party was over."

"Jesus, Ennis." Jack reached out and clutched the thread tightly, marveling up at the balloons as if they were the most incredible thing he had ever seen. His body felt weightless. It was easy to believe that the balloons would take him anywhere he wanted to go. He looked back at Ennis with a smile. "Seriously, Ennis, I feel like I can fly with them."

Still sitting, Jack stiffened his arm and held up the balloons over his head, watching them sway gently with the wind in the night sky.

"Damn, I feel like I'm seven," Jack said with a snort, amused at himself.

"You _are_ seven." Ennis looked down at the rubber toad that was taking Flea's usual space between them on the bench. The toad looked like it was staring back at him with its bugged, round eyes. Jack laughed.

It seemed Jack wasn't the only one who was feeling feather-light like he would float, so Ennis didn't hesitate to grab Jack's hand that was reaching out for him. Swaying in sync with the balloons in the wind, their fingers twined together firmly, keeping them grounded.

--

_Believe it or not, I have spent weeks trying to figure out things to say on this wonderful occasion to celebrate the first issue of the Open Gate. But after uncountable hours of sleepless nights struggling and being hard on myself, all I got is a headache and black circles under my eyes, plus a terrifying realization that I was actually having a writer's block—a writer's worst nightmare. _

_So one night, I took a stroll in hopes of finding some 'topics'. The night was quiet. The San Francisco sky was nice and clear. Stars were peeking from the puffy gray clouds, sending twinkle lights to the earth in their ancient way. But what caught my eyes that night weren't stars. They were balloons, colorful balloons in a man's grasp that painted the black sky so lively, so modest, not caring how much brighter stars could outshine them. They were undisturbed. They danced in the wind, looked like they were having the time of their lives!_

_That was why I gave up trying to sound smart and sophisticated (thank God). I'm going to play it simple and honest; welcome to the Open Gate. Welcome to our magazine that hopefully will spice up your days with every color like those little balloons. _

_Your Editor,_

_Jack Twist_


End file.
